Here, rendered in charcoal, is a nude – we see a side profile of the model reclining, a relaxed pose with her face and chest showing. This was drawn at the tail end of his studies in London, as you will read from his biography.

One of the best southpaws in Malaysian art, Khalil Ibrahim was sent on a Pahang government scholarship to study art at the St Martin’s School of Art and Design in London (1959-1964), for his National Diploma in Design. He was already 30 when he graduated. He spent another year for his post-graduate in 1965. After a very brief teaching stint on his return, he was released from his bond, and he decided to turn full time, and he has been painting fulltime since 1966. In 1970, he was given his first solo at the Samat Art Gallery, of his batiks and watercolours, and he also had a solo exhibition in Indonesia that year. Khalil was a co-founder of the Malaysian Watercolour Society and rose to vice-president once. An important show titled Khalil Ibrahim: A Continued Dialogue was held at Galeri Petronas in 2004.